CHAPTER XIII
A FORCED LANDING
'For goodness' sake keep them quiet!' gasped Trentham, clambering upamong the boulders to the top of the slope. The native prisoners,hysterical in their joy, were laughing and shouting and smacking theirthighs.
'Say, Lafoa,' said Hoole, 'tell that chief of yours to stop thehullabaloo. Black fella no talkee this time.'
Flanso gathered his men together, and reduced the hubbub somewhat.Meanwhile Trentham had gained the top.
'We must get out of reach at once,' he said. 'The searchlight's no goodto them now, nor the machine-gun; but if these fellows make such a rowthe Germans will track us.'
'We make for the village?' asked Hoole.
'Not directly; the Germans are sure to put men on the paths. But Ifancy they won't risk a regular pursuit in the dark, and if we get awayfrom the coast and avoid the direct route to the village, we shall atany rate not run into them. How 's Meek?'
'Just alive, sir, that's all I can say,' replied Grinson. 'What they've been doing to him----'
'Can he walk?' Trentham interrupted.
'Says he ain't got no feeling in his legs. But what's the odds? I 'llheave him across my back. Lucky you 're lean, Ephraim, me lad!'
'Come, let's start at once. Where's Lafoa?'
He explained his plan to the interpreter, who imparted it to the youngchief, and the whole party moved off silently into the forest, Grinsonmounting Meek pickaback.
Trentham's inferences as to the actions of the enemy were betterjustified than he knew. All the Germans with the exception of Hahn hadbeen thrown into a state of utter consternation by the discovery thatMeek was not the only white man in their neighbourhood. Hahn, professinghimself to be as much surprised as the rest, had discreetly held histongue. Consequently the commander, ignorant of the number of therescuers, had contented himself with posting parties of the crew on thepaths which the fugitives must cross to regain their village, postponingorganised pursuit until the morning.
It was slow going in the darkness. Several of the natives who had beenlongest enslaved were weak from overwork, ill-treatment, andconfinement. The stronger among them, eager to press on, wererestrained by fear of the dark and the necessity of helping the weaker.Hoole noticed that Trentham was limping.
'Hurt your leg?' he asked.
'Got a bullet, I think, but it's nothing.'
'Shucks! Let me have a look at it right now. You might bleed todeath.'
He knelt down and groped for the wound.
'The bullet has ploughed up a bit of your calf,' he said in a minute ortwo. 'Lucky it's no worse. Wait half a second while I tie it up; thenI guess you can go on till we strike some water.'
They went on, struggling over rough country amid thick bush and trees.Even the natives were at a loss in the darkness. They could not choose adefinite direction, and it seemed obvious to the white men that some ofthem would soon collapse. Grinson was panting under his load, lightthough it was, but steadfastly refused to allow the others to take turnswith him. At length, coming to a patch of open ground, Trentham calleda halt.
'We ought to be pretty safe now,' he said, 'and had better camp heretill the morning. With daylight some of the natives will be able to taketheir bearings.'
They lay down on the rough grass, already wet with dew.
'How d' you feel, Ephraim?' asked Grinson, bending over the seaman.
'I felt worse when I had typhoid,' said Meek faintly. 'What a lot oftrouble I do give you, Mr. Grinson--a lot of trouble. And I ain't saida word of thanks to the gentlemen.'
'Don't bother about that,' said Trentham. 'Get to sleep if you can.'
'Ay, go to sleep at once, Ephraim; d' ye hear, me lad?' said Grinson.
'I 'll try, Mr. Grinson, and if so be I dream horrors----'
'Dream! What's dreams? Why, many's the times I 've been drownded in mysleep. Dreams make me laugh. (I 'll get him off, sir,' he whispered toTrentham. 'A yarn of mine has done it afore now!) I remember once Idreamed as how I 'd got into a Salvation meeting; they was singing ahymn, but the man as played the trumpet--why, somehow the trumpet turnedinto a beer bottle, and I found I was playing the trumpet myself. Theyall come up and thanked me afterwards for my beautiful music, and thenall of a sudden I was left alone, and couldn't find my hat. While I washunting for it, that there trumpet fellow rushed in and pushed arolled-up parcel into my hand. "Very good hat!" says he, and when Iopened it, bless you, 'twas nothing but a tea-cosy.... He 's off now,sir. What have those devils been doing to my Ephraim?'
'We 'll hear all about it to-morrow. You had better sleep yourself,Grinson. Tell yourself a yarn.'
'No, sir; that's not my way. I counts over the number of sweethearts I've had, and by the time I 've got to the third or fourth I 'm dead off;they was so dull.'
It was a comfortless night on the open ground, with neither fires norwraps to defend them against the chill air. Either Hoole or Trenthamwas always on guard, together with relays of the natives. By theexertion of his authority Flanso kept his men fairly quiet; but thewhite men were on thorns lest even the subdued murmurs of voices shouldreach the ears of possible scouts.
At dawn the party was marshalled. It had been arranged that the weakermen among the natives should make for the village by a round-aboutroute, in charge of Grinson and Meek, and led by Lafoa. Trentham andHoole intended to wait a while with Flanso and the rest, and then toscout more directly eastward in order to keep watch on the Germans.
They were just about to start when the natives pricked up their ears,and Flanso managed to make the white men understand that they werealarmed by a noise in the air. A few seconds later Hoole declared thathe heard the seaplane's engines. Trentham signed to the natives to takecover in the surrounding bush, and with Hoole posted himself at the edgeof the forest, where he might hope to escape observation. Presently theseaplane soared over the clearing, a few hundred feet above the ground,and after circling once or twice made off south-eastwards in thedirection of the village.
'They won't see our men in the forest,' remarked Trentham, 'but we hadbetter start. If they drop a bomb on the village, there 'll be afrightful panic.'
They hurried among the trees to re-form their party, but found that thenatives, scared by the noise of this aerial monster, had disappeared.Only one man remained, Flanso himself, armed with a spear taken from oneof those who had accompanied the white men from the village. Under hisguidance they set off rapidly.
It was perhaps a quarter of an hour later that Hoole caught sight of anative among the trees on his left hand, and thinking it was one of themissing men, shouted to him. The man at once dashed away, uttering ashrill cry.
'Kafulu!' cried Flanso excitedly, and was on the point of springingafter the traitor when a shot rang out, and a number of Germans cameinto view almost directly in front of them. The three men instantlydarted away to the right, pursued by more shots, and ran until they wereout of breath.
'We 've outrun them,' said Trentham; 'must have gone twice as fast asthey, burdened with their rifles. I must rest a bit; my leg is rathergroggy.'
There was no sound of pursuit. Presently they moved on again, but hadnot gone far before they once more heard the hum of the seaplane,apparently approaching from the south. Screened by the trees, they didnot check their march until Hoole suddenly exclaimed:
'Say, Trentham, that machine 's sure in difficulties.'
'Is it? How do you know?'
'Listen!' returned Hoole with a smile.
The humming was intermittent, spasmodic, and presently ceasedaltogether.
'They 're coming down,' said Hoole, 'and not far away. Let 's have alook at it.'
'Better push on,' said Trentham.
'But it 'll do us good if the machine crashes. I 'd be glad to knowit's out of action. Come on!'
They turned in the direction in which the sound was last heard. Throughthe close-growing trees it w
as impossible to see far, and Trenthamprivately thought the search a waste of time; but after only a fewminutes' walk they came to the edge of an open space sloping down to astream some twenty feet wide.
'It will be hereabout,' said Hoole, detaining the others at the top ofthe slope. 'But I guess this trickle isn't wide enough to float it. Letus separate, and scout along the line of bushes here, up and downstream.'
In a few minutes Flanso, who had gone northward, returned to the others,and told them by signs that he had discovered the machine. Creepingback with him, they came to a bend in the stream, and there discoveredthe seaplane, resting partly on two small trees, partly on a bed ofrushes, and awkwardly tilted. The two airmen had left their seats, andwere talking together on the bank, apparently consulting a compass.Every now and again they glanced apprehensively into the bush on bothsides. Then they returned to the seaplane, walked round it, put theirshoulders against the fuselage, and tried to lift it. One of them tookout his revolver, and was on the point of firing it into the air, whenhis companion hastily interposed. The two men had a brief altercation.Finally the one who had been about to fire appeared to yield to theother's warning, and they both sat down on the shelving bank, discussingthe position over again.
Sheltered by the dense vegetation above the watercourse, Trentham andhis companions had watched their movements with interest. The tenor oftheir discussion was easily divined. The seaplane could not be salvedwithout help, but they hesitated to leave it, fearful of its beingdiscovered by the natives, with whom, as they now knew, were white men.If they parted company, which was to return to the cove? The one leftwould be less able to defend himself and the machine. A revolver shotmight have brought assistance from the Germans; on the other hand, itmight attract a horde of cannibals. What were they to do?
As they sat on the bank, they were sideways to the three men watchingthem only a few feet above.
'Let's rush them!' whispered Hoole suddenly.
He seized Flanso's spear, pushed his revolver into Trentham's hand, andbefore the latter could utter a word, either in assent or inremonstrance, the American was half-way down the slope. Trentham had nochoice but to back him up, and he dashed after his friend with scarcelya moment's delay.
The Germans heard the sound of Hoole's movements through the bush,turned their heads and sprang up. One of them raised his revolver tofire, but Hoole, now only three or four yards away, launched his spear.His sudden action flurried the German's aim, his shot flew wide, and thenext moment he fell back, cursing, and tearing the spear from hisshoulder. His companion, seeing Trentham rushing at him with levelledrevolver, hesitated a moment, and caught sight of Flanso swooping downimmediately behind the Englishman.
ONE OF THE GERMANS RAISED HIS REVOLVER, BUT BEFORE HECOULD FIRE, HOOLE LAUNCHED THE SPEAR AT HIM.]
'Hands up!' cried Trentham, taking advantage of the man's momentaryhesitation.
Up went his hands.
'Guess we 'll borrow your revolvers, gentlemen,' said Hoole, picking upthe weapon dropped by the wounded man. Trentham took the other man'sfrom his belt. 'Keep your eye on them, Trentham,' Hoole went on, 'whileI kind of size up this machine of theirs.'
Trentham and Flanso stood guard over the Germans while the unwounded manbathed his comrade's arm and bound up his wound. Meanwhile Hooleexamined the seaplane in a manner that took Trentham by surprise. Therewas a sureness, a purposefulness about him; he seemed to know exactlywhat he was looking for. Indeed, he pulled the engine about, asTrentham afterwards told him, as if he were its maker. A very fewminutes' inspection sufficed to make him wise, as he put it.
'Not much wrong,' he said, coming over to Trentham and smiling. 'Iguess I can put it right. But we 'll want help to get it on to thestream--yonder there, where it widens. Shall we start for home?'
'And these gentlemen will come as our prisoners?'
'Sure. We haven't any coal for them to dig, but they can start onyams.'
'Ve are officers; it is not correct for officers to vork,' said one ofthe Germans.
'Say, is that so? You 're a lazy lot? Well now! And yet you 'll makea chief dig coal for you--a chief who 's as big a man here as yourKaiser in Berlin. Well, you surprise me! Come along, Trentham. Let'shurry.'
'How far are we from the coast?' asked Trentham of the Germans as theystarted.
'Eight or nine mile,' was the surly response.
'Bully!' exclaimed Hoole. 'With luck we 'll have time to salve themachine before it's found. Step along, Flanso!'
'Ze niggers vere ve go--are zey cannibals?' asked one of the Germansanxiously.
'Yes,' replied Trentham. 'They nearly ate us. They mistook us forGermans.'
The prisoners asked no more questions.
Soon after leaving the seaplane, Hoole pointed out why it had come downin this part of the forest. The stream widened into a small lake, onwhich, when their engine failed, the Germans had tried to alight.Unable to reach it, they had been forced to come down on the bank of thestream.
Flanso scouted ahead, every now and then stopping to listen for signs ofthe Germans. Once, when they were rounding a spur where the vegetationwas thin, Trentham clapped his hand over the mouth of one of the Germansjust as he was about to shout.
'We 'll have to gag this fellow, Hoole,' he said.
'Sure. Another rag from my coat. And look you here, you officers, ifyou make a sound, barring a natural grunt, we 'll leave you to ourfriend Flanso. See?'
'The native yonder,' explained Trentham. 'You had him on your ledge, youknow.'
The threat was enough. For the rest of the march the Germans weredocility itself.